A campaign driven by filmmakers and showrunners to boost incentives to produce in Los Angeles, Stay in LA is actively engaged with California legislators and studio executives to build production activity in Los Angeles. Part of its mission statement declares, “We need a flood of new work to help our beloved city rebuild itself and ensure L.A.’s future viability as a place where craftspeople, film workers, and businesses thrive.” Now with over 21,000 signatures, Stay in LA is getting out the message that more film and tv production in Los Angeles will also help rebuild the local economy post-wildfires and benefit small businesses and industry vendors.
One of the showrunners behind Stay in LA, screenwriter-producer Simran Baidwan, is currently enjoying two successful series, Clean Slate (developed with the legendary Norman Lear) and the chart-topping The Pitt, which has just been picked up for a second season and is executive produced and has episodes directed by MPTF Board of Directors member John Wells. A veteran Board member of MPTF’s NextGen, Simran loves to pay it forward and finds it a “true gift to be able to work at ‘home’” here in L.A. to be with family and raising her kids. With shows like Manifest and The Good Doctor under her belt, she’s seen what it takes to keep going in the industry between finding a mentor, getting an agent, and landing gigs that can help build a career.
“It truly does take a village to make any series,” she says, “and I feel very fortunate to work alongside such talented teams of creatives (in front of and behind the camera) that helped bring these two shows to life”. Now she wants to stress the urgency of what’s at stake for studios and streamers: “They must commit to shooting here more often. The true power of Hollywood isn’t the glamorous award shows and red carpet; it’s the hundreds of amazingly skilled artisans and craftspeople in LA that come together to make film and TV magic. That’s what we’ve always done well in this city, that’s our legacy. We need to band together and get shooting in L.A. again.” Find out more at StayInLA.org
